France’s chemical giant

DrumheadIn 1995 Fisons plc was acquired by Pennsylvania-based Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc. , in bend entirely owned by France ‘s chemical giant Rhone-Poulenc S.A. Though its position among the universe ‘s pharmaceutical companies was later subsumed in beds of corporate ownership, Fisons had boasted a history of more than 300 old ages in concern before its dismantlement. Founded as a flour factory in the late eighteenth century, it rapidly developed into one of the universe ‘s largest fertiliser manufacturers. As the fertiliser market matured into a low-profit trade good over the class of the twentieth century, the company diversified into horticultural merchandises, pharmaceuticals, and scientific instruments. In the mid-1980s, Fisons divested its fertiliser involvements to concentrate on the extremely profitable medical side of the concern. By 1993 the company was the universe ‘s third-largest maker of scientific instruments and ranked among the universe ‘ s 60 largest pharmaceutical concerns. Fisons ‘ weak research and development attempts and unequal selling attempts, nevertheless, led to one-year losingss and a steep diminution in its stock monetary value mid-decade. The British company tried to contend off the progresss of its Franco-American rival, but relinquished ownership in the autumn of 1995. Fisons plc began as a flour factory and bakeshop founded by James Fisons in Barningham, England, in the late eighteenth century. In 1789 a boy, besides named James, started a maltings concern that expanded into Stowmarket and Thetford, two river towns that helped the household concerns expand. James Fison and Sons was formed in 1808, and by 1840 the house was entering & A ; lb ; 100,000 in one-year gross revenues. Subsequently that decennary, the household entered the underdeveloped field of fertilisers and moved the concern ‘s central office to Ipswich. Within a few old ages, Fisons had built a manure plant and was bring forthing its ain sulphuric acid. As fertilisers became the company ‘s primary concern, pesticides based on sulfurs were added to the merchandise mix. In 1895 the company was split into two parts: James Fison and Sons and Joseph Fison and Co. During World War I, Fisons helped do explosives, but the company returned to fertilizer by the terminal of the war to buoy dwindling nutrient production. When fertiliser monetary values plunged after the war, the two Fison companies, along with two others with which they had late merged, were reunited to organize Fison, Packard, Prentice and Co. ( Fisons ) in 1929. During the 1930s, Fisons began to spread out through acquisitions. The company ‘s most important add-on was the Anglo-Continental Guano Works Ltd. , which doubled the size of Fisons. Anglo-Continental was a budding pudding stone with a pharmaceutical subordinate, Genatosan ; Fisons was therefore brought into that moneymaking market. Fisons ‘ acquisitions continued throughout the 1930s, and by 1939, with 39 subordinates, it was the largest fertiliser company in Great Britain. During World War II Fisons felt the force per unit area of both a manpower deficit and increased demand for fertilisers. Some of the company ‘s fabrication workss were bombed every bit good. The company name was shortened to Fisons Ltd. for marketing lucidity in 1942, and it emerged from the war with about two-thirds of Great Britain ‘s fertiliser market. Fisons made more acquisitions after the war ‘s terminal, first buying Wiffen and Son, a all right chemicals maker. The new subordinate became portion of Fisons ‘s chemicals and biologicals division, headed by Genatosan. The Wiffen acquisition included the Loughborough Glass Company, which would subsequently develop into Fisons ‘s Scientific Equipment division. The purchase of Pest Control Limited during the 1950s brought Fisons into agrochemicals, a market that was closely related to the fertiliser concern. Fisons hoped to capitalise on the two Fieldss ‘ common research, development, and distribution methods. In 1968 research workers at Genatosan discovered disodium cromoglycate ( DSCG ) , which was developed as the branded anti-allergenic Intal. The drug differed from its rivals because it was a contraceptive, whereas others were taken after the oncoming of allergic symptoms. Intal gross revenues boosted the pharmaceutical division ‘s net incomes from & A ; lb ; 1.14 million in 1968 to & A ; lb ; 2.43 million in 1970 and & A ; lb ; 5.6 million in 1973. By 1971 Fisons had organized its many subordinates into four divisions: Fertilizers, Agrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and Scientific Equipment. The company developed these primary concerns through acquisitions every bit good as merchandise and market enlargement. Acquisitions were focused geographically in Europe, Australia, and the United States. Fertilizers contributed 50 per centum of the pudding stone ‘s one-year gross revenues at that clip, and Fisons fought to keep a competitory border in Great Britain ‘s fertiliser market: 80 per centum of the division ‘s gross revenues were in its place state. However, the supply side of this division was hamstrung, since its primary ammonium hydroxide provider was besides its primary rival, Imperial Chemical Industries plc. During the first half of the 1970s, Fisons tried to rectify this state of affairs by increasing its majority purchasing in planetary markets, particularly sponsoring Morocco. Morocco increased its monetary values six-fold in 1973, though, and other providers rapidly followed suit. At the same clip, U.K. monetary value controls held fertiliser monetary values below the universe market monetary value for ammonium hydroxide, efficaciously extinguishing Fisons ‘s fertiliser net incomes. Fisons ‘s Agrochemicals group besides ran into problem during the seventiess, when it lost a valuable client, Ciba-Geigy Ltd. Fisons tried to back up this group by increasing capital investings, particularly in the United States. The company besides boosted research and development financess, but since most of this division ‘s attempts focused on making replacements for merchandises that were already on the market, Fisons lacked a strong merchandising suit. During the 1970s, anti-allergens comprised between 60 and 70 per centum of the Pharmaceutical division ‘s gross revenues, but Intal had merely captured 6.1 per centum of the anti-allergy market, which was led by Glaxo ‘s Ventolin. After a decennary of research, the division was covering a serious blow when Fisons decided non to market its new drug, Proxicromil, a replacement to Intal, because it was found to do malignant neoplastic disease in animate beings. With Intal ‘s unrenewable patents set to run out in 1982, the Pharmaceutical division ‘s chances were non good. In 1972 the Scientific Equipment Division was spun off from the Pharmaceutical division, and acquisitions in Germany and Australia, every bit good as the purchase of Britain ‘s Gallenkamp, helped Fisons go Great Britain ‘s top scientific equipment maker. Many of Gallenkamp ‘s contracts were with the authorities, universities, and infirmaries, nevertheless, many of which cut their outgos in the recessive 1970s. Fisons ‘s Horticulture division was separated from the Agrochemical division in 1977. It produced and marketed amateur and professional horticulture merchandises, and its strengths were in peat-based merchandises, particularly the popular and well-established Fisons Gro-Bags — self-contained, nutritionally balanced dirt pokes. The peat operations were extended with a new works in Yorkshire and the acquisition of Howlett ‘s, a company with peat militias in Cumbria and Scotland. Although it was a new focal point for Fisons, gardening was really one of the company ‘s most unafraid concerns by the terminal of the seventiess. It was vertically incorporate and held commanding portions of the markets in which it operated: 50 per centum of the lawn fertiliser market ; 20 per centum of the solid fertiliser market ; 30 per centum of the peat market ; and 12 per centum of Great Britain ‘s weed and pest control concern. Throughout the 1970s, Fisons had gone into debt to do a cloudy reorganisation and shore up up its historical focal point — fertilisers — merely as competition and planetary consolidation in this market eroded net incomes. At the same clip, high involvement rates and rising prices dug into the net incomes Fisons managed to gain through its other operations. By 1980 Fisons ‘s chances looked dim. The Fertilizers division was runing at a loss ; Agrochemicals could non trust to vie with the research and development spendings of bigger rivals ; the Scientific Equipment division was enduring from authorities cutbacks ; gardening was a little, developing concern ; and the Pharmaceuticals division, a primary profit-maker, had all of a sudden lost its lone long-run growing merchandise. Fisons was on the brink of bankruptcy. John Kerridge was promoted to main executive officer ( CEO ) from executive manager in mid-1980 and given the undertaking of change by reversaling Fisons ‘ downward spiral. He began the reformation by cutting costs, shuting down four production units and three farms in the Fertilizer division, so extinguishing more than 1,000 places in the group. Fisons ‘s corporate central offices were moved from high-rent London back to Ipswich, and economizations were made in the Scientific Equipment division every bit good. Kerridge ‘s most cardinal alteration was the sale of the Fertilizer division to Norsk Hydro a.s. in 1982 for & A ; lb ; 59 million. The divestment was a extremist alteration for Fisons and involved the disposal of what had been the foundation of the company for more than a century, every bit good as the division with the most gross revenues. The troublesome Agrochemicals division was sold the undermentioned twelvemonth to Schering A.G. for & A ; lb ; 60 milli on. These divestments left Fisons with three primary concerns: Pharmaceuticals, Horticulture, and Scientific Equipment. The pharmaceutical group was expanded with the 1980 purchase of Great Britain ‘s Charnwood Pharmaceuticals, Australia ‘s Orbit Chemical Pty. Ltd. in 1982, and Italy ‘s Intersint in 1983. Great Britain ‘s Weddel Pharmaceutical was acquired in 1983 and merged with Charnwood, which would specialise in generic drugs. Fisons ‘s Horticultural operations grew geographically through a joint venture with Canada ‘s Western Peat Moss in 1980, and the acquisition of Langley Peat North Ltd. of Alberta in 1983. These purchases gave Fisons entree to big peat supplies and the North American market. The British operations were supplanted with the acquisition of Webb and Bees seed operations from Shell Holdings ( U.K. ) Ltd. in the early 1980s. The Scientific Equipment division grew through the add-on of Watson Victor, a New Zealand distributer of research lab equipment, in 1982. Haake-Butler Instruments, of which Fisons owned 67 per centum, was later founded in the United States. Overall, Kerridge ‘s cardinal alterations improved Fisons ‘s balance sheet dramatically ; the corporation went from doing one-year involvement payments of & A ; lb ; 13 million in 1980 to holding no net adoptions in 1983. Fisons was even unafraid plenty to do a successful stock offer of & A ; lb ; 28 million that twelvemonth. The Pharmaceutical division ‘s continued heavy research and development outgos resulted in two new drugs: DSCG-based Opticrom, released in 1984, and Tilade, a new asthma intervention, introduced in 1986. This division acquired Laboratorios Caesen, of Spain, in 1984, and Bracco de Mexico in 1986. Kerridge was made president in 1984, and he clarified the scheme he had been utilizing to turn Fisons around: â€Å" We wish to run in industries of built-in attraction, which have potency for growing and a record of profitableness of successful participants, [ and ] we wish to be in clearly defined concern sections where Fisons can moderately draw a bead on to being an effectual rival by virtuousness of its size and its fiscal and managerial resources. † The company would no longer run on the peripheries of its chosen markets, as it had in the seventiess. For illustration, Fisons concentrated on the gardening and scientific equipment markets, which were non yet consolidated or dominated by a individual powerful company. Fisons hoped to be that company. Fisons burst onto the U.S. market for scientific equipment, which was place to 40 per centum of the universe ‘s research activity, with the acquisition of Curtin Matheson Scientific Inc. ( CMS ) in 1984. CMS was the second-largest distributer of scientific equipment in the United States. Fisons besides purchased United Diagnostics Inc. and Pacific Hemostasis Laboratories Inc. , which were combined with CMS to give the latter fabrication capacity. By the beginning of 1985, Fisons ‘ Scientific division was the third-largest organisation of its type in the universe and the largest outside the United States. Fisons continued to turn, geting in 1985 Murphy Chemical, which helped widen the Horticulture division ‘s portfolio of merchandises, extend selling in Europe and North America, and shore up Fisons ‘s peat supplies. Subsequently in the decennary, the Horticulture division would sell its 50 per centum portion of Asef-Fison B.V. to its joint-venture spouse, DSM Agro Specialties B.V. In 1986 Fisons bought Applied Research Laboratories, a taking maker of scientific equipment with planetary selling capacity, and two old ages later it purchased Union Scientific Limited, a Hong Kong company. Several of import acquisitions were besides made by the Pharmaceutical division in the late eightiess. Italchimici SpA, an Italian house, and Pennwalt Corporation ‘s pharmaceutical division, a U.S. maker of ethical and nonprescription drugs, were purchased in 1988. A Gallic company, Gerbitol S.A. , brought expertness in cardiovascular medical specialty, antibiotics, and dietetic addendums to the division in 1989. In all, with the aid of its important 1980s acquisitions, Fisons ‘s pre-tax net incomes increased by an norm of 56 per centum per twelvemonth to & A ; lb ; 230 million ( US $ 410 million ) . The corporation ‘s market capitalisation rose from & A ; lb ; 40 million in 1980 to & A ; lb ; 3 billion in 1990. The 1990 purchase of VG Instruments, a maker of mass spectrometers and surface analysis instruments, more than doubled Fisons ‘ end product of analytical instruments and catapulted the Scientific Equipment division to the figure three topographic point in the planetary market place. It looked as if Fisons had launched its 2nd back-to-back decennary of growing and prosperity. By the terminal of 1991, nevertheless, it was clear that jobs in the Pharmaceutical division had dragged the full company down. Late that twelvemonth, Fisons revealed that two of its of import new drugs, Opticrom for hay febrility and Imferon for anaemia, had been recalled from the U.S. market after the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) denied blessing of the company ‘s British mills. Harmonizing to a 1992 Economist article, the FDA ‘s everyday cheque of Fisons ‘ U.K. mill revealed warehouses with holes in their outside walls ; hapless record maintaining ; and â€Å" the possibility of gnawer, insect or avian activity in the [ conveyance ] containers. † Fisons ‘s pre-tax net incomes for 1991 dropped 17 per centum to & A ; lb ; 190 million, and the company faced needed investings of more than & A ; lb ; 25 million to convey its British mill up to U.S. criterions. John Kerridge resigned â€Å" on wellness evidences † in mid-January 1992 and was temporarily replaced by Patrick Egan. In April of that twelvemonth, Egan became president, while Cedric Scroggs was selected as main executive officer. The new leaders decided to sharpen Fisons ‘ focal point on pharmaceuticals and scientific equipment by depriving its OTC drug and horticultural concerns. In November 1992, Fisons agreed to sell its North American OTC drug operations to Swiss drug concern Ciba-Geigy Ltd. for & A ; lb ; 92 million ( US $ 60.3 million ) . This section represented about 50 per centum of Fisons ‘s planetary consumer wellness division gross revenues and 40 per centum of that group ‘s net incomes. Egan and Scroggs recognized that the British company lacked the resources and marketing influence necessary to vie in the American consumer drug market. Fisons ‘s new direction forged a joint development and selling understanding with Allergan Inc. , a U.S. ocular company, early in 1993. The agreement called for Fisons ‘ 400 U.S. sales representative to co-market Allergan ‘s ocular drug Acular. The U.S. company ‘s gross revenues force, in bend, would assist market Fisons ‘ ocular intervention Opticrom. The agreement presumed that Opticrom would be re-registered by the FDA. By early 1993, Fisons had made important betterments in its Opticrom mill, but new FDA reviews had still non resulted in blessing tardily in the twelvemonth. Fisons suffered yet another reverse when it suspended development of an asthma medical specialty, tipredane. The company had been banking on the new drug to bolster its core respiratory concern in the late ninetiess. Tipredane had been licensed by Fisons from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and was in the thick of unsuccessful clinical tests in more than a twelve states. The failure of tipredane left Fisons with merely one new drug, remacemide — an epilepsy intervention — in development. In May 1993 Fisons sold its North American gardening concern to a pool led by Macluan Capital Corp. of Vancouver for US $ 60 million in hard currency and used the returns to cut down its debt. Fisons besides planned to sell the balance of its Horticulture division every bit shortly as an chance arose. In July the company sold its consumer wellness merchandises concern in Australia and New Zealand to Warner-Lambert for about US $ 23 million. The sale included the Rosken line of curative skin-care merchandises. Despite Fisons ‘s early 1990s attempts to bolster its pharmaceutical concern, some analysts insisted that the company had neither the research and development strength nor the selling clout necessary to vie in an ethical pharmaceutical concern that demanded frequent find of advanced medical specialties. Industry perceivers anticipated an at hand amalgamation or coup d'etat for Fisons. Those outlooks intensified as Fisons ‘ portion monetary value declined from & A ; lb ; 2.45 in mid-1992 to & A ; lb ; 1.13 by the terminal of 1993. Over the class of the latter twelvemonth, the company ‘s scientific instruments division went & A ; lb ; 16 million into the ruddy. CEO Cedric Scroggs was fired that December, Finance Director Roy Thomas took early ( and presumptively nonvoluntary ) retirement, and Stuart Wallis took the helm of the beat-up house. Throughout the 18 months, Wallis made a valorous and moderately successful attempt to bolster Fisons ‘ stock monetary value. Though the company suffered a loss on 1994, a major reorganisation and divestment plan eliminated at least 1,000 occupations, cut costs, and helped the house ‘s stock monetary value rebound about 75 per centum to & A ; lb ; 1.93 by mid-August 1995. That addition was non plenty to forestall Franco-American rival Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc. ( R-PR ) from doing a hostile & A ; lb ; 1.7 billion ( US $ 2.6 billion ) command for control of Fisons on August 18th. Though some analysts thought the offering monetary value, at 16.7 times expected net grosss, was excessively high, CEO Wallis complained to Chemical Marketing Reporter that the monetary value â€Å" significantly undervalues Fisons. † The British company backed up that averment when it reported a 40 per centum addition in net income, to & A ; lb ; 48.6 million, for the first half of 1995. That happy intelligence helped progress the house ‘s stock to & A ; lb ; 2.60 by the terminal of September. In October, R-PR upped its command of & A ; lb ; 2.65 per portion, or US $ 2.9 billion. Unable to happen a more amicable suer, Fisons accepted the coup d'etat that month. Though the British house and its many subordinates around the universe continued to be listed among R-PR ‘s operations through 1996, it shortly became clear that the tri-centenarian entity would finally discontinue to be. Over the class of 1996 and 1997, R-PR slashed about 3,000 excess occupations in the United States and Great Britain, divested several Fisons divisions ( including the scientific instruments concern ) , and discontinued many of the subsumed company ‘s pharmaceutical research and development plans. For its about US $ 3 billion, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer got an main course into the US $ 15 billion and turning respiratory drug market, or more specifically, the respiratory drug bringing section. At the clip of its purchase, Fisons had two promising bringing media in the development grapevine: a non-CFC aerosol and a dry-powder inhalator. Indeed, Fisons probably played a function in an addition in gross revenues and cyberspace at R-PR from 1995 to 1996. Year-over-year grosss increased six per centum, to US $ 5.4 billion, and net grew by about one-third, to US $ 473.5 million. In November 1997, when Rhone-Poulenc acquired the staying tierce of R-PR that it did non already ain, Fisons ‘ destiny appeared sealed. Officials at the company ‘s U.S. and U.K. central offices early in 1998 asserted that Fisons no longer existed, either as a group of subordinates or a division. Question-1Discuss the grounds from the instance and the usage of theory, the stakeholder direction by this organisation ; chiefly its booby traps? Answer: Question-2How would you hold handled this state of affairs ; suggestions to be rationalized with strong theoretical underpinning? Answer: Question-3At the clip of John Kerridge ‘s surrender, what strategic options did Patrick Egan have to steer the company back to its old glorification? Answer:

Introduction to Spectrophotometry Essay

This lab will teach me how to use a spectrophotometer. The use of the spectrophotometer is to measure the concentration of solute. The solute being measured must be colored and is determined based on the adsorption of light photons on a wavelength. The spectrophotometer uses a beam of light that strikes the diffraction grating that basically forms of prism of light. Then only a specific wavelength of light shines through the spectrophotometer and interacts with the solute. The light that continues past the solute hits the phototube. The spectrophotometer then digitally shows the amount of units that have been absorbed or transmitted. Transmittance is the amount of light that gets through the sample. This is shown as a percent of all the possible light that could’ve gotten through. Absorbance is the opposite of transmittance and the reciprocal of it. This shows how much light got trapped in the solute. In this lab we will use a few different solutions in the spectrophotometer to get a basic feel on how it works. We will record the absorbance as well as do calculations using mean and standard deviation. We will then graph our results and compare them with the class values of the three unknown Methylene blue samples. At the end of the lab the actual concentrations of each unknown will be shared. We will then compare how accurate and precise our results are with the actual. This lab will teach me how to use a spectrophotometer. The use of the spectrophotometer is to measure the concentration of solute. The solute being measured must be colored and is determined based on the adsorption of light photons on a wavelength. The spectrophotometer uses a beam of light that strikes the diffraction grating that basically forms of prism of light. Then only a specific wavelength of light shines through the spectrophotometer and interacts with the solute. The light that continues past the solute hits the phototube. The spectrophotometer then digitally shows the amount of units that have been absorbed or transmitted. Transmittance is the amount of light that gets through the sample. This is shown as a percent of all the possible light that could’ve gotten through. Absorbance is the opposite of transmittance and the reciprocal of it. This shows how much light got trapped in the solute. In this lab we will use a few different solutions in the spectrophotometer to get a basic feel on how it works. We will record the absorbance as well as do calculations using mean and standard deviation. We will then graph our results and compare them with the class values of the three unknown Methylene blue samples. At the end of the lab the actual concentrations of each unknown will be shared. We will then compare how accurate and precise our results are with the actual. This lab will teach me how to use a spectrophotometer. The use of the spectrophotometer is to measure the concentration of solute. The solute being measured must be colored and is determined based on the adsorption of light photons on a wavelength. The spectrophotometer uses a beam of light that strikes the diffraction grating that basically forms of prism of light. Then only a specific wavelength of light shines through the spectrophotometer and interacts with the solute. The light that continues past the solute hits the phototube. The spectrophotometer then digitally shows the amount of units that have been absorbed or transmitted. Transmittance is the amount of light that gets through the sample. This is shown as a percent of all the possible light that could’ve gotten through. Absorbance is the opposite of transmittance and the reciprocal of it. This shows how much light got trapped in the solute. In this lab we will use a few different solutions in the spectrophotometer to get a basic feel on how it works. We will record the absorbance as well as do calculations using mean and standard deviation. We will then graph our results and compare them with the class values of the three unknown Methylene blue samples. At the end of the lab the actual concentrations of each unknown will be shared. We will then compare how accurate and precise our results are with the actual. This lab will teach me how to use a spectrophotometer. The use of the spectrophotometer is to measure the concentration of solute. The solute being measured must be colored and is determined based on the adsorption of light photons on a wavelength. The spectrophotometer uses a beam of light that strikes the diffraction grating that basically forms of prism of light. Then only a specific wavelength of light shines through the spectrophotometer and interacts with the solute. The light that continues past the solute hits the phototube. The spectrophotometer then digitally shows the amount of units that have been absorbed or transmitted. Transmittance is the amount of light that gets through the sample. This is shown as a percent of all the possible light that could’ve gotten through. Absorbance is the opposite of transmittance and the reciprocal of it. This shows how much light got trapped in the solute. In this lab we will use a few different solutions in the spectrophotometer to get a basic feel on how it works. We will record the absorbance as well as do calculations using mean and standard deviation. We will then graph our results and compare them with the class values of the three unknown Methylene blue samples. At the end of the lab the actual concentrations of each unknown will be shared. We will then compare how accurate and precise our results are with the actual. This lab will teach me how to use a spectrophotometer. The use of the spectrophotometer is to measure the concentration of solute. The solute being measured must be colored and is determined based on the adsorption of light photons on a wavelength. The spectrophotometer uses a beam of light that strikes the diffraction grating that basically forms of prism of light. Then only a specific wavelength of light shines through the spectrophotometer and interacts with the solute. The light that continues past the solute hits the phototube. The spectrophotometer then digitally shows the amount of units that have been absorbed or transmitted. Transmittance is the amount of light that gets through the sample. This is shown as a percent of all the possible light that could’ve gotten through. Absorbance is the opposite of transmittance and the reciprocal of it. This shows how much light got trapped in the solute. In this lab we will use a few different solutions in the spectrophotometer to get a basic feel on how it works. We will record the absorbance as well as do calculations using mean and standard deviation. We will then graph our results and compare them with the class values of the three unknown Methylene blue samples. At the end of the lab the actual concentrations of each unknown will be shared. We will then compare how accurate and precise our results are with the actual. This lab will teach me how to use a spectrophotometer. The use of the spectrophotometer is to measure the concentration of solute. The solute being measured must be colored and is determined based on the adsorption of light photons on a wavelength. The spectrophotometer uses a beam of light that strikes the diffraction grating that basically forms of prism of light. Then only a specific wavelength of light shines through the spectrophotometer and interacts with the solute. The light that continues past the solute hits the phototube. The spectrophotometer then digitally shows the amount of units that have been absorbed or transmitted. Transmittance is the amount of light that gets through the sample. This is shown as a percent of all the possible light that could’ve gotten through. Absorbance is the opposite of transmittance and the reciprocal of it. This shows how much light got trapped in the solute. In this lab we will use a few different solutions in the spectrophotometer to get a basic feel on how it works. We will record the absorbance as well as do calculations using mean and standard deviation. We will then graph our results and compare them with the class values of the three unknown Methylene blue samples. At the end of the lab the actual concentrations of each unknown will be shared. We will then compare how accurate and precise our results are with the actual.

Family Narratives About Child Obesity Essay

A growing interest in psychological approaches to the treatment of childhood obesity has led to an â€Å"increased demand for insights into the psychological drives related to the development of obesity† and to the motivation in families with obese children (pg 183). Reports suggest that childhood obesity affects both the physical and the psychological health of the child, and the family is the main cause. There is very little research done on how to prevent childhood obesity. Children undergoing treatment for obesity are dependent on both the family’s practical (socio-economical and lifestyle) and psychological (emotions and attitude) support. Thus, the purpose of this research was to â€Å"elucidate aspects of the family’s interactions and its understanding of who has a weight problem, of whom the family feels ought to change their health-related behavior (diet and exercise)† (pg. 188) METHOD Participants From November 2001 to November 2005, 100 families with obese children participated in the treatment project. The families were to include a 10 to 12-year old child whose weight was more than 40% above the weight-to-height ratio for children, and the family was willing to participate for one and a half years in treatment. Children were referred from school nurses, teachers or practitioners. Each family participated in a one-hour introductory interview, with only 53 of the interviews actually being completed. Procedure There were three analyses that were comprised for the research: qualitative (family narratives), one for the families’ socio-demographic condition, and the third was the â€Å"ways in which the various narratives are represented in families from different socio-demographic backgrounds† (pg. 192). During the interview, participants responded to questions: â€Å"What does your family think are the causes to the child being overweight? Why do you (the child) want to lose weight (What is the motivation)? Who is going to change anything concerning the eating habits in the family? What is the education of the mother/father?† (pg. 199) Finally an analysis of the relationship between the described narratives and the three educational categories was carried out, based on their percentile distribution in the sample. RESULTS In the first part of the analysis attention was directed to whether or not a family mentioned causal factors that may have influenced the child’s weight development (internally). Factors claimed by a family as influencing the development of excess weight that are clearly causal explanations were diet, exercise, and psychology (comfort eating, boredom, etc.). â€Å"Almost all families (91%) stated that they had played a part in the development of their children’s obesity. Many of the parents (59% of the mothers and 22% of the fathers) had experience in trying to lose weight by dieting† (pg 201). The dietary factors specified by families as having played a part in the development of the child’s obesity was overeating unhealthy food. The second part was the external influences: The family claimed to have had no influence on the development of their child’s obesity. Narratives belonging to this area of research fall into three categories: genetics, previous illness, and incomprehensible (the family had no clue as to why their child was obese.). All families had a short-term perspective on motivation for wanting to change their child’s weight development. Most of the families who also had a long-term perspective on motivation belonged to the two groups with the highest educational level. ‘More than three-quarters of the families (78%) believed their child’s overweight to be a family problem and that the whole family must participate in lifestyle modification† (pg 204). Half of the families (54%) felt that the child must assume responsibility of exercising. DISCUSSION It is suggest that more studies be conducted, mainly due to the fact that most of the families that were studied had relatively short educations. Contrary to expectations, there was no association between the parents believing that they had no influence on their child’s weight development and their feeling that it was the child alone who must act and change its behavior.

THE SITUATION OF WOMAN ( THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS) BY ISABEL ALLENDE Essay

THE SITUATION OF WOMAN ( THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS) BY ISABEL ALLENDE - Essay Example On the contrary, the women are passive, subservient and puppet-like in the hand of their male counterparts. It is not that they do not long for freedom of action and choice; indeed, they long for it and attempt to exert stealthily. But when their ambition are revealed, they have been mercilessly silenced down by the men around them. All of the protagonists in Allende’s novel are, more or less, vulnerable to male violence and brutality. They are powerless in the face of the men’s superiority and macho possessiveness. Despite their powerlessness, they challenge the patriarchal authority by feminine mode of protests such assuming reclaiming maiden name, resort to silence, self-withdrawal, etc. After all, the women’s status, as portrayed in the novel, is more like an addendum to their men than a self-dependent individual. Like any patriarchal society, the fate of Allende’s women is determined greatly shaped and determined by the men around them. They are the objects of male lust like other properties which belong to a man. Obviously, these women belong to a society which is run by rigid patriarchal ideologies. In the novel, Esteban’s character seems to personify all those patriarchal ideologies. He believes that marriage is the best protection of a woman who is unable to ensure their own safety because of their psychophysical inferiority. So, he sent â€Å"Jaime and Nicolà ¡s were sent to a Victorian English boarding school† (Allende 78). The father in Esteban believes that Blanca’s destiny was â€Å"marriage and a brilliant life in society, where the ability to converse with the dead, if kept on a frivolous level, could be an asset† (Allende 78). Indeed, Allende’s women are imprisoned in a rigidly defined social gender-role. He believes that since women are both physically and mentally immature, their activities should remain confined to childrearing, cooking, etc within the four-walls of

Balance scorecard Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Balance scorecard - Coursework Example Jack (2009) explains that in the USA currently, the horticulture farming achieves a gross total of $98.9 billion and it’s ranked the third largest in the US agricultural industry. Grains farming accumulate to $111.3 billion while beef farming accounts to $99.2 billion dollars annually. Horticultural farming performs better than poultry, cotton and wool farming combined. It is estimated that the greenhouse horticulture would increase to 9.3% of the total agricultural sector by the year 2018. Greenhouse horticulture output leads to 3.5 million tones of agricultural produce annually which accounts to 5% of the agricultural output. Currently, the Gross Value of Production (GVP) generated by each employee accounts for $295,648 annually. A total of $9227 is generated per hectare in the gross value of production. Jack (2009) further illustrates that in terms of the Gross value of Production (GVP) developed per hectare, horticulture is the third successful productive sector in the agr icultural industry followed exceeding poultry farming. From the analysis it can be noted horticulture has vast opportunities for financial success which the nursery volunteers can embrace. Niven (2010) describes that Business Scorecard (BSC) was coined by Robert Kaplan from Harvard and David Norton in 1992 in the measurement of intangible assets which played a vital role in the increase of their financial figures. Kaplan and Norton believed that for managers to improve on their management of intangible assets; they had to incorporate the measurement of their value into their management programs. After the formulation of the business model several companies adopted it and 15 years down the line, it was further adopted by thousands of other public, private and nonprofit companies. The concept was further expanded to include the communicating, describing and implementation of the strategy. The four BSC perspectives include the learning and growth perspective, the customer perspective,

Global Business Context Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Business Context - Outline Example The main purpose of this document is to develop a set of parameters by which an ideal country can be chosen for locating the business. The rate of economic growth in southeast Asia is quite low in comparison to other countries. Therefore, its GDP per capita had been falling to a certain extent behind that of Indonesia, Brazil and China. It has been stated by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development) that those countries possessing more than $ 8,000 of per capita income are classified as high income countries. Therefore, the product of global venture is likely to succeed if the country has more than $8,000 of per capita income. The development of the product along with the sales and marketing of the product requires high skilled employees especially for the purpose of designing and engineering services. Therefore, the staff must possess good communication services. It is the ubiquity of the mobile phones that causes changes in the cultural norms. Although the chips will add new features to the mobile phones, most of its features may not be accepted universally. Therefore, there is socio-cultural impact of the chip on the buyers. Yes, the demand for the product is sensitive to recession because during the times of recession, the buyers may undo the purchase of cell phones and therefore have an impact on the mobile chip as well. The product requires high level of financing in order to get off the ground. It has been noted that most of the mobile chip companies, such as Nokia are investing huge amount of money to expand its operations. The companies compete in terms of both price and non price competition. They try to reduce the overall cost of operation and therefore lower the price of their product. In addition to this, the companies try to make the product attractive by adding new features to it on a regular basis. Based on your research summarised above, in this box you must now

Essay about the novel Metamorphosis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About the novel Metamorphosis - Essay Example ?He is even more worried when the chief clerk reaches home to enquire why he has not turned up to work when he is required to complete some important task. Gregor’s family is not sure whether the vermin is their son. The family has tried to provide food and shelter for the vermin though the aspect of comfort is not given to him. He is not allowed out of his room to mingle with the members of the family and continue to have the good life he earlier had. Despite his physical condition, Gregor wants to complete his assignments for the day and wonders how his family will live without his earning because his father was already in debt. He is also worried that his mother cannot work due to her illness. He thinks "of his family with emotion and love." He also learns that in the absence of his earnings, all the members of the family have taken up work and they have also lent out room for lodgers. Gregor’s sister Grete used to serve him food and clean up his room. The maid of the house is fired and is replaced by a charwoman. The charwoman is the only woman who sympathizes with Gregor and talks to him. The human mental condition of Gregor is further revealed when he get’s out of his room following his sister to find medicine for their mother, who collapses seeing the vermin. Gregor is badly punished by his father for getting out of his room by throwing an apple and Gregor gets hurt, unable to move. This also reveals that Gregor’s father has reached a good financial position and wants to get rid of Gregor to maintain authority on the family. The sight of Gregor is fearsome for his mother, though his sister feeds him with his favorite food for which he has no penchant now. Though Gregor yearns to talk to their family and spent time with them, he is not allowed to get out of his room. But the music played by Grete takes him out of his room to teach his sister to play the right notes. The lodgers are astonished seethe creature and cries out to leave without paying

Economic Characteristics of Steel Industry Case Study

Economic Characteristics of Steel Industry - Case Study Example Increasing population in many parts of the world especially in BRIC countries has also increased the requirement of steel based products such as new vehicles, appliances and building infrastructures. Government is the first force that plays two critical roles. First, local and international sustainable and environmental laws are put into effect to protect the environment from adverse effects of steel producing plants. Second, when the steel firms require protection, it inflicts tariffs and trade regulations plus tax breaks or subsidies; however this can be minimized by providing Free Trade Agreements. Steel industry is highly influenced by technology and fuel prices. Technology has not only improved the quality of steel products but also the continuously growing fuel prices force the steel producing companies to figure out and implement new, innovative, and cost-effective technology and practices. During the past few years, the mergers and acquisitions have not only enhanced the grow th of steel industry but also made the industry more cost competitive where competition is primarily based on prices. Recycling of steel and scrap material is another critical driving force which plays an important part in the joint projects.

CityLab Academy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CityLab Academy - Essay Example On a year before graduation from school I've been thinking over the idea to choose biotechnology as my future profession, but, as I had little information about it I couldn't make up my mind for whether to apply to college for this specialty, or consider other variants.The sooner the graduation came the more confident I became about the future education I wanted to receive. When I learned about the CityLab Academy I understood it would be the ideal variant for me. I hope that completing this course will grant me the initial knowledge about the peculiarities of the profession I've decided to choose, and will make the further education a little easier for me. It is also that after finishing the CityLab Academy I would be able to find a job in case I would need it.For me, biotechnology is the way to change the life of people and other species on our planet. The amount of various microorganisms in the world is incredible, only a few of them were studied and their effects used for the hum ans to benefit from it. I believe there are still numerous microorganisms the scientists haven't discovered that can solve the vital problems the dwellers of our planet have. For example, there might be some microorganisms that are able to provide us with the substances needed to create drugs that will cure the diseases that were previously considered to be immedicable, like cancer, AIDS or diabetes. It is also possible that the microorganisms may solve the problem of the lack of food that exists in the contemporary world. It has always been fascinating for me to work in the school biology lab, thus I would like to learn to do the research work properly. I'm sure that some of the CityLab Academy courses will give me the necessary knowledge, thus I will be able to get the job dealing with the laboratory work, or, if I will decide to continue my education it will assist me greatly, as I'll have the knowledge and understanding of the research process, thus my work will be more effectiv e. I was also fascinated by the fact that the curriculum of the CityLab Academy included attending various academic and industry biotech laboratories. The use of biotechnologies in the industry has long been an object of interest for me, and it would also be interesting to at least look at the newest mechanical facilities I've read about in the scientific magazines. I also hope that those field trips will allow me to define in what area I would like to specialize and be employed. What also attracted me in the curriculum was the fact that the CityLab Academy proposed the seminars where the students are learned to write the cover letters and resumes and pass the interviews successfully, as it is often said by the managers of the companies that self-confidence and communication skills are of no less importance for passing the interview successfully and getting the job than the knowledge and attainments the specialized education gives. It is also great that the CityLab Academy curriculu m includes the seminars designed to teach students the skills needed for the successful studying and work process, like communication techniques, time management, and conflict resolution. Those skills make the process of studying and working, both group and individual much easier and profitable, as the person who possesses those skills can concentrate on what he/she is doing instead of spreading the attention on minor issues.

Values and Meaning of Attending College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Values and Meaning of Attending College - Essay Example In contrast to an individualist purpose for attending college, Boyer believes the college has an obligation to teach â€Å"a more coherent view of knowledge and a more integrated life† (Steltenpohl & J. Shipton, 1995, p. 18). In addition, he warns that we must be â€Å"mindful of the consequences of selfishness† (p. 18). Boyer does not provide a defense of individualism, even though he says it is â€Å"necessary† (p. 18). Instead, Boyer relies only on his defense of community in making his case for two essential goals. The problem is that Boyer does not actually believe in individualism when he claims colleges have an obligation (or duty) to enforce this idea of a more â€Å"coherent† or â€Å"integrated† life. A perspective that believes in individuals to develop their own views on knowledge or life would advocate for an obligation or duty for colleges to present knowledge to students and to allow them to form their own judgments. The purpose, or g oal, of college is not to give students a passage, but rather to present facts and objective information. A â€Å"passage† sounds inherently biased toward whatever values the college seeks to supply their students with. While this kind of education—such as that provided by Christian private colleges—has a demand, but that demand is specific and does not represent the general purpose of college. Indeed, having students personally powered and committed to the common good is potentially valuable, but not if that commitment undermines their autonomy. The result of Boyer’s perspective is clearly laid out by Perkinson in his essay â€Å"The Educated Person: A Changing Ideal,† specifically in his treatment of John Dewey and socialization (Steltenpohl & J. Shipton, 1995, p. 36). Dewey and pragmatist philosophers advocated schools as tools for producing intelligent decision-makers in a participant democracy. In reality, what this meant was that loyal citize ns coming out of public schools were not â€Å"leaders, but functionaries† (p. 36). Everyone coming out of schools was equipped with common values, beliefs, and attitudes serving the American status quo. Economically, every child was prepared to accept his or her role as a cog in a production system. This is the logical result of the kind of solution that Boyer seeks by telling colleges that they have an obligation to teach their students how to be members of a community. However, Boyer and Dewey have been influential enough to change American education at their core. One can see this influence even in our Brandman catalog, which withholds degrees from students who have not completed the sometimes-irrelevant education requirements. The opposite perspective—that we ought to be honoring the role of the individual in education—is borne out by Whitehead in â€Å"Universities and their Function† (Steltenpohl & J. Shipton, 1995, p. 38). Whitehead locates the â €Å"proper function of a university† in â€Å"the imaginative acquisition of knowledge† (p. 39). Imagination is an individual ability and does not depend on a community. When one looks around a college classroom, one does not see a group of people engaged in the attempt to better their community through the process of learning. While Boyer would think this is a problem, Whitehead is more concerned with whether individuals are involved in an imaginative acquisition of knowledge. The imaginative pursuit of knowledge, one would suspect, might lead to an individual developing his own

The Republic of Plato Case Essay Example for Free

The Republic of Plato Case Essay According to Thrasymachus, justice is interest of the rulers and the superior. His view of justice considered the whole state with someone being superior. The person superior is the ruler. Being superior, he is the one that would make the law.   The rulers would make laws that would benefit them. If his servants would refuse to obey, then they would be punished and called unjust while those who would obey would be called the just. Socrates started to refute this argument by doubting the ability of the ruler to see something as beneficial to him or not. Every man makes a mistake, even rulers. In making laws, they may not be able to recognize that what they are doing can result to their harm and to the benefit of his servants. Following this argument, justice is not always for the interest of the rulers. But Thrasymachus insist that it is, and pointed out that a ruler cannot be subjected to mistakes at the times that he is called a ruler. A ruler is perfect. At the times that he makes mistakes, the title ruler is not rightfully his and will not be consider to be a ruler. The ruler, in the stick sense, would never commit a mistake of perceiving something that would injure him as something beneficial. All the laws that he will make would be for his benefit. Justice is really for the interest of the superiors (Cornford, 1945, 14).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socrates’ argument was based on the analogy that an art is the master and that the subject of the art the servants. He viewed almost everything as a form of art, a perfect art to be exact. A perfect art is an art that does not require any art, not even itself, to fix its defect and would never have a defect. Art will always be done for the interest of the subject. The performer of a particular art will always make something, which is in line with his art, to please the subject. It is never for his benefit that art is done, but for the benefit of his subjects. Socrates made this point clear by taking healing by physicians as an art. By treating the sick, which is the subject of his art, he obtains nothing for himself. The one benefited was the sick since he will be healed. And like the art, the master would also do something that is for the benefit of his servants. Therefore, the master will always do something that is for the interest of his servants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socrates also added that the benefits that were acquired through ruling as not part of the art of ruling. It is a consequence of his art but not really a part of it. He states that every art has a distinct characteristic. If after performing the art, say the art of healing, he obtains something through payments, the art that he performed cannot be mistaken to be the art of paying. He may obtain something through the art of paying but still it is the art of healing that he performed. Nothing can be gained through one art only. It is also true to the art of ruling. Obtaining something that is for the interest of the ruler is not part of the art of ruling. He did not really benefit form the art of ruling but by the art of paying.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socrates pointed out that power is not the reason that a person wants to rule, but because of the fear of punishment that awaits him upon rejecting the opportunity to rule. He claimed that there are three modes of payment that would be given to the ruler, money, honor and punishment of not ruling. For a just man, the first two modes are not of great importance but the rather the third mode. The third mode can be made clear by thinking that when an unjust man became the ruler, he would expand his power. The result would be chaos and disorder in the society. This fear of being ruled by someone that is unjust or worst that him is the reason that a just man wants to rule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thrasymachus, aside of his claim that of justice, also said that the life of an unjust man is happier and better than the life of a just man. A just man will do something for the interest of the rulers but an unjust man for himself. A just man will always consider his ruler’s will but the unjust will just do what he please. His view of which the just and unjust man are became more specific in the sense that he classified some groups or individuals as just or unjust. The criminals, robber and swindlers were example of an unjust person and honest persons as just. The robbers, taking the properties of others, leave their victim’s life miserable. On the large scale, criminals would not only take small part of properties, but would try to take all of them. The criminals, having taken the properties of others by force, would live a better life and than the person who was left with almost nothing. The unjust will always have more than the just man.   This is the reason that he classified unjust as wise and good, and the just ignorant. This is because the just would not consider the ruler us unjust. The rulers would also take the properties of others and enslave other people and other state but never will the just consider him a criminal. He also claimed that justice is a vice while injustice a virtue. It is a vice since he believed that a person would gain nothing for being just. His view of happiness is based on the desire of the human body and is very dependent on physical wealth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, Socrates thought that the opposite is true. A just man has characteristics that are stronger, live a life that is freer and happier than the unjust. In his argument to prove this, he used the analogy of the artisan. In this analogy, he classified men to be either artisan or non-artisan. One of this two would be considered as wise or ignorant. Surely, the person that is capable of performing the art is the wise one. By looking at the characteristics of a just man and the unjust man, it would be clear who is the real wise and the real ignorant. A just man, being simple, would want to exceed the talents that the unjust man has, but never the talents of another just man while the unjust man will try to do better than the just man and to all other unjust men. The artisan will never claim that adjusting something in performing his art can make him superior to another person performing the same art but he would claim to be better than those who do not practice his art. On he contrary, the person ignorant of the art would try to be better than the actual artisan and those that are non-artisan. Because this person, who is the artisan, will try to be better than those who are non-artisan and the just person will try to exceed the ability of an unjust person, it is logical to say that the just person is the same as the artisan while the unjust is the same as the non-artisan. Being wise, which is a characteristic of an artisan, is good, and so therefore the artisan is wise and good. The just man, having the same characteristics of an artisan, is wise and good. This directly contradicts Thrasymachus’ view of a just man as someone that is ignorant (Jowett, 1946, 12).   An intriguing flaw on Socrates can be noticed. This flaw is when Socrates did not consider ambition as a driving force that could lead to the artisan to do better than his fellow artisan. It is quite excusable since both Socrates and Thrasymachus considered the artisan in a strict view. The artisan is perfect and is not capable of doing error. In this case, the artisan can no longer be better that his fellow artisan (Retrieved December 9,2007 from http://sesquipadalianmusings.blogspot.com/).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Injustice, as being agreed by Socrates and Thrasymachus, can cause hatred and disorderliness wherever it is found. But Socrates claimed that there is still a form of justice existing in a group of unjust men. There can never be a perfect injustice. In a group of unjust men, the injustice that they possess would cause each one of them to injure one another. But in doing so, they would be less capable. Having this in mind, they would work together. Since unity in a group can only be acquired through justice, justice still exists in this group of unjust men. But not only in a large group can injustice creates hatred, but also to the persons own self. The injustice existing in him would disorganize the cooperation of his body parts, and that it can cause hatred towards one’s own self. And this form of injustice existing in the person is equally fatal as the injustice present at a larger group. The strongest part of Socrates argument is when he linked the soul to the happiness of a person. Unlike Thrasymachus’ view of happiness as something brought about by physical things, Socrates view happenings as something that can be obtained through peaceful interaction between of a person to his society and to his own self, and something that can only be experienced when the soul is at its proper use and excellence. He claimed that injustice is a defect in the soul that deteriorates its excellence. Everything in the world has its own function. The function of one thing can never be done better than any other thing. The ability or characteristic that allow it to do its function is its excellence. Once its excellence has been damaged or deteriorated, it cannot perform its function. Socrates believes that the function of the soul is to command and its excellence is justice. He recognized injustice as a form of defect of the soul. Because of this defect, the soul lost its ability to command. The injustice that the soul possesses would destroy the harmony of the soul and the body. A just man will live happy and free and will be an excellent ruler while the unjust man will live ill and will be an evil ruler. He added that being happy is profitable and so the life of a just man is more profitable than the life of an unjust man. This argument of Socrates refuted Thrasymachus view that injustice is more profitable and unjust the stronger and that justice is truly the sum of all virtues (Cornford, 1945, 1). References Cornford, F. M. (1945). The Republic of Plato. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=od= 12288563#. Inkling. (October 23, 2007). Socrates vs. Thrasymachus. Retrieved December 9,2007 from http://sesquipadalianmusings.blogspot.com. Jowett,B. (1946). The Republic of Plato. Cleveland: Fine Edition Press. Retrieved December 9, 2007 from Electronic Text Center database.

A View From A Bridge - analysis of act i scene 5 Essay Example for Free

A View From A Bridge analysis of act i scene 5 Essay I have chosen Nicolas cage because he is strong but not very strong and he has a good American accent. This scene is probably the most important scene of the play as there is so much action and it is the first real time you see any conflict between the characters. The scene starts when the characters have just finished their dinner and they start talking about Italy and what is like there, but it is a short lived conversation as Rodolpho and Eddie soon have a full fledged argument. After the argument Eddie offers Marco and Rodolpho some tickets to watch boxing and then offers to teach Rodolpho how to box but it looks more like Eddie is questioning Rodolpho about his sexuality. Even though Marco was on Eddie s side (You come home early now. ) before the boxing he catches on to Eddies scheme of making Rodolpho look weak and shows his supremacy over Eddie in strength by lifting a chair with one hand when Eddie could not, this is to stop Eddie making Rodolpho look like a fool. The five characters in this scene are: Eddie, Marco, Rodolpho, Beatrice and Catherine. Eddie has the most active part in the scene with fighting arguing and just talking about Italy. He starts off the scene by talking to Marco about Marcos jobs (They pay all right on them boats? ) and other things in Italy such as oranges and lemons (I heard they paint oranges to make them look orange). He then starts arguing with Rodolpho about Catherine and how late she has been staying out recently (she was never out on the street till twelve oclock at night). He then tries to make Rodolpho look bad by teaching him how to box and stunning Rodolpho briefly (he feints with his left and lands with his right. It mildly staggers Rodolpho. ). The scenes end and as Marco lifts the chair Eddie starts to look worried as Marco looks triumphant (Marco is face to face with Eddie, a strained tension gripping his eyes and jaw, his neck stiff, the chair raised like a weapon over Eddies head-and he transforms what might appear like a glare of warning into a smile of triumph, and Eddies grin vanishes as he absorbs the look). Marco seems to be a quiet but strong figure in a household and has quite a lot to do. Marco begins the scene talking about his wife and kids (Beatrice: Your wife is gettin the money alright, Marco? Marco: Oh, yes. She bought medicine for my boy. ), jobs and Italy in general, he is also reading a letter from his wife (He has been reading a letter. ). He then watches as Eddie and Rodolpho argue and box and then stands as Rodolpho staggers (Marco rises. ). Originally Marco tries to calm it down subtly, (No, Beatrice if he does wrong you must tell him. What does he do wrong? ) but by the end of the scene he obviously thinks that he needs to show to Eddie who is boss. Rodolpho begins the scene by trying and failing to enter the conversation about Italy (Once we went to Yugoslavia.), but just ends up aggravating Eddie and getting himself into a large argument with Eddie (Rodolpho: Its more strict in our town. Its not so free. Eddie: It aint so free here either, Rodolpho, like you think. ). He then gets taught to fight by Eddie and gets his own back by dancing with Catherine (Dance Catherine come), while earlier he knew there was tension and did not want to dance incase he would aggravate Eddie (Catherine: you wanna dance, Rodolpho? Rodolpho: No I-Im tired). Beatrice: right from the beginning you can tell that Beatrice is on the side of Catherine and Rodolpho (Go ahead, dance, Rodolpho. ), but she starts off the scene by joining in the conversation about Italy and Marcos life and family. She always seems to be the peacemaker (Thats enough, Eddie; he did pretty good, though. ) although she is on the side of Rodolpho and Catherine ( She watches them dance; Eddie turns his head away. ). She then looks on as Marco lifts the chair when Eddie could not (Beatrice and Eddie watch him. ). Finally Catherine: she is probably the most important character in this scene, not so much for her lines but for the reason that she is the subject that the other characters are arguing about (I have respect for her, Eddie. I do anything wrong? ). At the beginning of the scene she tries to get Rodolpho and Eddie talking (They went to Africa once. On a fishing boat [Eddie glances at her. ] Its true Eddie. ), but it just makes Eddie talk to Marco. She then is called upon to back up Rodolpho by Beatrice but seems to be shy (Beatrice: Well, you said the movie ended late, didnt you? Catherine: Yeah. ). She end s the scene by dancing with Rodolpho (Rodolpho takes her in his arms. They dance.) and then watches the fight for supremacy (Rodolpho and Catherine have stopped dancing as Marco raises the chair over his head. ). Since the beginning of the United States of America, it has been known as a unified country and as a country of with no hereditary class barrier, yet the American world has changed since the 1800s. Until 1880 anyone who had enough money to get there could get into America. Even though the government put restrictions on the amount of immigrants allowed to enter the country, 23. 5 million new immigrants entered America from 1880 -1920, most of these immigrants where Irish, Italian or Jewish from Eastern Europe. In 1920 almost 70% of New York people were immigrants or children of immigrants. This resulted in large ghettos of ethnic communities all over New York. Even though America was meant to be the land where every one had equal rights, many people were racist. The government tried to change their people instead of accepting them: Cultural Assimilation. They were forced to learn English and change from their own ways to the customs of America. In 1950 the Displaced Persons Commission enforced a huge intelligence investigation into immigrants in America. Their purpose was to try and get rid of all illegal immigrants in American society, this leads on to the question that Arthur Miller brings up in the play about loyalty and what it means to be an American and as this play was written in the 1950s this whole story is relevant to what was happening at that time in America. Immigrants were also thought to be members of fascist or communist parties in 1940, by 1950 anti-communism was so intense that members of the government such as senator Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon took advantage of peoples strong feelings and gained power from their exploits. McCarthy had so much power that he was able to accuse anybody and get him or her sent to prison or even executed. This resulted in a witch-hunt, because anyone could be accused on the slightest excuse what so ever. Many famous people where accused of being a communist, even the author of this play, Arthur Miller, was accused but he was one of the lucky ones by getting off scot free (probably because he married Marilyn Monroe). Other famous people included many movie directors and scriptwriters who were some of the early victims, they were given the nickname The Hollywood Ten. All this anti-communism resulted in thousands losing their jobs and losing any chance of getting another one and was one of the great injustices of the twentieth century.

Adaptation Of The Antigone Of Sophocles English Literature Essay

Adaptation Of The Antigone Of Sophocles English Literature Essay This paper is for a presentation about how Brechts adaptation of Antigone could be pave way for proto-Marxists behaviour and belief in the end of the World War II. The presentation would shed light on how Sophocles original play about divine intervention and early laws in ancient times could have led to passivity in terms of oppression, and how Brecht tried to raise the suppression in his means of adapting Antigone. Bertolt Brecht was a man of great achievements in the field of Arts. He has helped shaped the world of theatre acting as it is known today with his varying styles and approaches  [1]  . Throughout his career, he has helped transform lives and the artistic industry. When it comes down to it, it could be said that Brecht is among those who are responsible for opening the eyes of the people for their power to revolt and defend their stands against their betters. Since the Elizabethan era follows the whims of monarchs and the decrees of royalty and their superiors, those who are poor are left without a voice to be heard. They will pay high taxes if it was asked of them, they will march on to war if their landlord commands them to do so. Following this logic, it is no wonder that Bertolt Brecht labels Ancient Greeks and Englishmen of that age as barbarians  [2]  . They could be classified as barbarians in such a way that they are embracing the emotions expressed by the heroes of Sophocles and Shakespeare. Though pretty the dialogue might be, there lies a hidden truth in each accusation that the audience are barbarians in the sense that they are lapping the tragedies and misfortune of other people and using them as their own gauge of how beautiful their lives are. And if it so happens that the barbarians were able to catch a glimpse of how horrid reality was to those who are less fortunate than their high statures, then they would continue to ignore it and proceed in their daily lives without trying to make a difference. Perhaps in order to shed light and shock these barbarians as Brecht refers to the upper class, he adapted a popular play by Sophocles entitled Antigone. Sophocoles original play was about earthly laws and the power of the divine and heavens wrath. However, Brechts aptly called The Antigone of Sophocles showed a political play which illustrated how a divided country could be devastated after a pointless war  [3]  . Brechts adaptation of Antigone reflects how familial tragedy could be turned into a political pawn in a timely manner wherein the Germans are ripe for understanding and changes. Yet before the speaker brings the listeners deeper into the mind of this unusual mind, it would be most preferable to introduce Brechts background and who he was. This will help the audience understand the context of Brechts works, which will thus enable them to relate more on how his works could be used to go in accordance with Sophoclean tragedy. The year 1898 brought to life Bertolt Brecht to a modest family, wherein he was exiled in 1933 when Nazis occupied Germany. He left Germany and disembarked to a journey heading to Austria, and found himself in the Switzerland and the soils of France. He set premature roots in Denmark, and had to leave after six years when the war was its earnest. Brecht at that time eluded it with his loved ones by going to Sweden, and finding refuge in Finland, and by travelling along the length of the Soviet Union. Finally, he found a boat which took him all the way to the land of the free, which is in Los Angeles, California, in the United States in the year 1941  [4]  . In the safety of Los Angels, California, Brecht wrote his masterpieces entitled Mother Courage, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Good Person of Setzuan, and the famed The Life of Galileo. The last piece was previewed in Hollywood which stared a big name in theatre of that era: Charles Laughton, who assisted Brecht in penning the English text. The Life of Galileo was proven to be so beautiful that it was showed in Broadway for a season  [5]  . During this time, Brecht was already planning to return to Europe, but it was not fated to be. The House Committee on Un-American Activities as a branch of the US Congress subpoenaed artists, directors, and writers who were allegedly known as having leftist sympathies. There were ten writers and directors who were sent to jail because they were uncooperative and insisted on their rights to Freedom of Religion and Political Belief. As a result, they were dubbed as the Unfriendly Ten, and were sentenced to contempt. Brecht was the eleventh person to be subpoenaed by the Committee. On October 30th, Committee Chairman J. Parnell Thomas tried Brecht and questioned him about the play Die Massnahme which was set in the Japanese Noh and was published in a left-wing publication in the United States. Brecht denied allegiance to any left-wing movements, and was hereby released by the Committee to pursue his writing. Antigone was written from March 30 to December 12, 1947. Brecht was in Zà ¼rich, Switzerland with his family when the play was finished. It was first shown in Chur Stadttheater in February 1948  [6]  . From its opening night, theatergoers have mentioned how Brechts The Antigone of Sophocles is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps this could be attributed to the unavailable English translation, which was only made available during 1984. From 1948 to the launch of the English translation, the audience had to make do with Brechts adaptation of the original Sophoclean tragedy  [7]  . The original play portrays Brechts loose translation of Friedrich Hà ¶lderlins prior interpretation from Sophocles original drama. A member of the audience notes how an argument between Creon and Antigone becomes political when Antigone berates Creon, yet Creon retorts in anger and demands Antigones silence  [8]  . Though it was clear that Creon was in the wrong, society still dictates that a woman cannot hold such strong opinions against her betters. Another controversial fact about the play is how despite the fact that less than five months prior the plays opening night, Brecht was questioned by the Committee about his loyalty to the country, and yet he wrote such a controversial scene wherein Creon was urging the audience to condemn Antigone for her lack of patrionism. Willet (1959) mentions how despite the script being written by Hà ¶lderlin, Brecht has changed the lines to fit his message. His style was carefully interwoven with Hà ¶lderlins that is become impossible to distinguish which lines where written by which writer. Therefore Sophocles tragedy was given an entirely different meaning from what it was initially intended for. Brecht was also famed for using the Chorus to lead the audience in their responses. In line with Brechts changes to the script, it became apparent that Antigone became concerned with the rights and needs of an individual, against the power and needs of the State, which is the situation during its showing in Switzerland  [9]  . Though Sophocles initial script indicated how individuals should submit blindly to Fate and to decision of gods at all costs, Brechts interpretation of Antigone displayed how it could be possible that mans fate is man himself  [10]  . Perhaps it could be said that Brecht introduced post-Marxist ideals in the play, and how the original beautiful tragedy was translated into a political ploy. Brecht showed the means of a post-war, defeated Eastern Germany, and how he changed Sophocles intention about divine laws upon the reality of state terror after the war. In Brechts The Antigone of Sophocles, it was portrayed how the Berlin of 1945 was in utter disarray. Through the story of Antigone, Breech was able to show how two sisters who might have a brother who left his responsibilities and deserted the German force by hanging himself would fare. There are two choices: would they risk being caught by the authorities, or should they leave him? Brecht showed how Creon was a very brutal tyrant, and how the system is smothering the people  [11]  . Brecht showed consistency in his works when he repeated how passive acceptance could be ruined people. He mentioned this in Kleines Orpnon as well as in Antigone  [12]  . The political message of Antigone is plain and simple. When it was rewritten by Brecht, Europe was still adjusting after the turmoil caused by World War II, and the author had personally witnessed the changes brought about by the destruction and disability of leaders to admit theyre wrong. This goes hand in hand with the message in Brechts Antigone, wherein violence feeds upon itself, and entices those surrounding the violence to a vicious cycle of wars and conflicts that will continue after the people involved are dead, and are crushed for all their supports  [13]  . At the start of the play, Creon launched Thebes in a very aggressive and deadly war against Argos. This was similar to Berlins air-raids during the World War II. Creon consistently brings destruction and violence, and takes down his whole country into destruction, instead of surrendering in order to salvage some of their home. The audiences of the play have said that this is similar to Hitlers black motives against Antigones white actions to try to give her brother a decent burial. Hitler tried to drag down all the people, and Brecht was trying to tell the German citizens to raise against Hitler as Antigone argued with Creon to be able to bring peace and harmony within the country  [14]  . There were others who mentioned that Antigone was the symbol of hope and all that is good. Creon was the tyrant whom Antigone was resisting to follow his evil deeds. She was the angelic voice of reason and conscience, and that goodness comes the practical lesson of achieving practical wisdom against adversity  [15]  . With the Chorus which represents the masses in accordance to Creons messages and military victory, they are leading the audience into thinking that war is the proper answer to their problems instead of peace. However, in the end of Brechts written script, the Chorus turns against Creon, and attacks him for launching the unnecessary war  [16]  . This could be said to be an eye-opener for the audience, as they felt the power of the masses and how they could share their opinions for the betterment of the group. Yet according to history, the death of Stalin brought about the revolution of East Berlins workers. This uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks, and Brecht was said to have supported the repression  [17]  . There were speculations about how Brecht was rewarded for his efforts by having his pieces premiered and performed, and how the Stalin Peace Prize which he was given during 1955 was another emblem of how he supported Marxists behaviors. Nevertheless, after he died in 1956, the world all mourned for the great writer. This presentation shows how Bertolt Brecht was able to change the perspective of people in the turbulent times of World War II. In comparison with Sophocles original piece, Antigone and Creon were given the opportunity to discuss their defensible claims before the tirades of the war went on. In the original story, Polynices was not allowed to be buried for he was deemed as a traitor. Antigone then goes against the decree and buries Polynices, which angers Creon. Thus continues Sophocles tragedy wherein Antigone argues that she was following the divine commands of gods to bury the dead, and Creon was insisting that Antigone went against the States wishes  [18]  . Sophocles thesis is simple: Antigone shouldnt have buried Polynices because this is against the States orders. Yet with Brechts version, Antigone was the one in the righteous position because she was opening up the eyes of the State and the people that to deprieve the dead of burial is unjust and unfavoured by gods. In the end the question to be answered is how much the people is willing to raise up against the country. The Antigone of Sophocles in Brechts adaptation opens the possibility of a political play which reflects the horrors inflicted by the war and the concerns of modernity. Is the power of the State so great that even dead men cannot receive justice? Brecht was able to show the different side of the war: war wherein the families of deserters were suffering for not being able to pay their loved ones proper respect, and how to swallow their morality for the sake of not enraging the gods. The speaker strongly believes that in Brechts adaptation of Antigone was given the proper justice it deserves by todays mediums and forms of communication. The Sophoclean tragedy was able to step up and be in accordance to Brechtian Epic Theatre which relieves the past and makes the audience feel the impact of the war. Clearly, it is a matter of addressing which position should the audience play in terms of determining their freedom, and the possibility of controlling a mans own fate, instead of letting the heavens be the judge of the future.

Beloved by Morrison :: Morrison Beloved Essays

Beloved by Morrison "It is the ultimate gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave"(Morrison 1987). These are the words that Toni Morrison used to describe the actions of the central character within the novel, Beloved. That character, Sethe, is presented as a former slave woman who chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to the physically, emotionally, and spiritually oppressive horrors of a life spent in slavery. Sethe's action is indisputable: She has killed her child. Sethe's motivation is not so clearly defined. By killing her "Beloved" child, has Sethe acted out of true love or selfish pride? The fact that Sethe's act is irrational can easily be decided upon. Does Sethe kill her baby girl because she wants to save the baby from slavery or does Sethe end her daughter's life because of a selfish refusal to reenter a life of slavery? By examining the complexities of Sethe's character it can be said that she is a woman who chooses to love her childre n but not herself. Sethe kills her baby because, in Sethe's mind, her children are the only good and pure part of who she is and must be protected from the cruelty and the "dirtiness" of slavery(Morrison 251). In this respect, her act is that of love for her children. The selfishness of Sethe's act lies in her refusal to accept personal responsibility for her baby's death. Sethe's motivation is dichotomous in that she displays her love by mercifully sparing her daughter from a horrific life, yet Sethe refuses to acknowledge that her show of mercy is also murder. Throughout Beloved, Sethe's character consistently displays the duplistic nature of her actions. Not long after Sethe's reunion with Paul D. she describes her reaction to School Teacher's arrival: "Oh, no. I wasn't going back there[Sweet Home]. I went to jail instead"(Morrison 42). Sethe's words suggest that she has made a moral stand by her refusal to allow herself and her children to be dragged back into the evil of slaver y. From the beginning, it is clear that Sethe believes that her actions were morally justified. The peculiarity of her statement lies in her omission of the horrifying fact that her moral stand was based upon the murder of her child. By not even approaching the subject of her daughter's death, it is also made clear that Sethe has detached herself from the act. Beloved by Morrison :: Morrison Beloved Essays Beloved by Morrison "It is the ultimate gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave"(Morrison 1987). These are the words that Toni Morrison used to describe the actions of the central character within the novel, Beloved. That character, Sethe, is presented as a former slave woman who chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to the physically, emotionally, and spiritually oppressive horrors of a life spent in slavery. Sethe's action is indisputable: She has killed her child. Sethe's motivation is not so clearly defined. By killing her "Beloved" child, has Sethe acted out of true love or selfish pride? The fact that Sethe's act is irrational can easily be decided upon. Does Sethe kill her baby girl because she wants to save the baby from slavery or does Sethe end her daughter's life because of a selfish refusal to reenter a life of slavery? By examining the complexities of Sethe's character it can be said that she is a woman who chooses to love her childre n but not herself. Sethe kills her baby because, in Sethe's mind, her children are the only good and pure part of who she is and must be protected from the cruelty and the "dirtiness" of slavery(Morrison 251). In this respect, her act is that of love for her children. The selfishness of Sethe's act lies in her refusal to accept personal responsibility for her baby's death. Sethe's motivation is dichotomous in that she displays her love by mercifully sparing her daughter from a horrific life, yet Sethe refuses to acknowledge that her show of mercy is also murder. Throughout Beloved, Sethe's character consistently displays the duplistic nature of her actions. Not long after Sethe's reunion with Paul D. she describes her reaction to School Teacher's arrival: "Oh, no. I wasn't going back there[Sweet Home]. I went to jail instead"(Morrison 42). Sethe's words suggest that she has made a moral stand by her refusal to allow herself and her children to be dragged back into the evil of slaver y. From the beginning, it is clear that Sethe believes that her actions were morally justified. The peculiarity of her statement lies in her omission of the horrifying fact that her moral stand was based upon the murder of her child. By not even approaching the subject of her daughter's death, it is also made clear that Sethe has detached herself from the act.

Demolition Man :: essays research papers

"Demolition Man" "Demolition Man" is an action/science fiction movie staring Sylvester Stallone as a police officer named John Spartan, Wesley Snipes as a criminal named Simon Phoenix, and Sandra Bullock as an SAPD officer named Lenina Huxley. The movie begins in the year 1996 in the "out of control" city of Los Angeles. The city is out of control. John Spartan arrests Simon Phoenix for a hostage situation, but the hostages are killed and Spartan is charged with their murders. Both men are then sent to a prison where they are to be frozen until their parole. In 2023 when Phoenix is thawed out for his parole hearing he kills some prison officers and then he escapes. Because of Phoenix's actions Spartan is thawed out in order to recapture Phoenix. After Spartan is released he teams up with Lenina Huxley. Spartan and Phoenix have been frozen for 36 years. When they are released the city has changed dramatically, it is now a computerized society called San Angeles. In the city of San Angeles there is no chaos, everything is controlled and in complete harmony. In San Angeles everything that is harmful to people is illegal. Smoking, drinking, salt, caffeine, spicy foods, meat, and contact sports have been banned. This computerized society can keep track of every citizen because they all have a microchip in their bodies and there are cameras on every corner. There are fines for cursing and dirty jokes. The music that the citizens in San Angeles listen to is commercial tunes. Taco Bell is the only restaurant because of the franchise war. San Angeles has a lot of control of its citizens. There is rarely any physical contact, the clothing is bland and it covers up most of the body. Fluid transfer is illegal so women have to go to a clinic and be tested in order to get pregnant. The people who will not obey the strict rules of San Angeles live underground in tunnels and sewers. They are called Scraps or Hooligans. The tunnels and sewers are very dirty, smelly and crowded. The Scraps are against the rules of San Angeles because they feel they take their freedom of choice. The Scraps drink alcohol, eat meat, and curse freely. Because of their behaviors and beliefs the Scraps are seen as outcasts from the rest of society and they are left to fend for themselves.

A Comparison of Butlers Life and Kindred Essay -- comparison compare

A Comparison of Butler's Life and Kindred    What lies in the mind of an author as he or she begins the long task of writing a fiction novel? This question can be answered if the author's life is studied and then compared to the work itself. Octavia E. Butler's life and her novel Kindred have remarkable comparisons. This essay will point out important events of Butler's life and how they link to the mentioned novel. Octavia Estelle Butler was born on June 22, 1947 in Pasadena, California (Voices From 1). She began her life with many hardships as an only child and having her father die when she was very young (Voices From 1). She grew up in a location that had a wide variety of racial backgrounds, however Butler never felt like she lived in a world of segregation (Notable Black 144). She describes the situation best when she states, "I never...lived in a segregated neighborhood nor went to segregated school; the whole community was an economic ghetto" (Notable Black 144). The lack of money sometimes creates a humble atmosphere and that must have been the case with Pasadena throughout her childhood. Until this point it seems as if Butler had a very unhappy childhood, but the life that she was living was shaping her to become the great author that she is today. Trials can become positive experiences for one to grow and mature and this was definitely her case. Having been an only child, Butler spent most of her time surrounded by an adult crowd, presumably the acquaintances of her mother (Notable Black 144). Thus, she grew up as a "very solitary individual" (Notable Black 144). She was also inflicted with dyslexia, which made it very difficult for her to keep up with the rest of the children her age (Notable Black 144).... ...utler, Octavia E. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 1979. Doerksen, Teri Ann. Into Darkness Peering : Race and Color in the Fantastic. Ed. Elisabeth Anne Leonard. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1997. Gates, Jr., Henry Louis, and Dorothy Allison. Reading Black, Reading Feminist: A Critical Anthology. Ed. Henry Louis Gates. New York: Meridian Book, 1990. Jackson, Jerome H. "Sci-fi Tales from Octavia E. Butler." The Crisis 101.3(1994): 4-5,10. Smith, Jessie Carney, Ed. Notable Black American Women. Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. Stevenson, Rosemary. Black Women in America: an Historical Encyclopedia. Ed. Darlene Clark Hine, Elsa Barkley Brown, Rosalyn Terborg-Penn. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Carlson Pub., 1993. "Voices From the Gaps -- Women Writers of Color." July 31, 1998. October 14, 1998. http://english.cla.umn.edu/Ilkd/vfg/Authors/OctaviaButler.

Mt. Everest

The Choice Should there be a permanent base camp? KJ December 19th, 2011 Should there be a permanent base camp? The choice for a permanent base camp has not been made because the are plenty of good reasons why there should be one. On the other hand there are also plenty of bad reasons why there shouldn't be one. Though the council has not decided completely there have been a few rumors that they might start building in 2014 or 2015. This may become an issue with the people that live in Nepal. The Argument The Good Things The good things about this settlement is that everyone can have comfortable hot showers and a heating system to keep them warm. This is also good because there is a possibility that if it is built then it could lower the chances of polluting the area (more than it already is). That is if recycling bins and trash cans are added. The Bad Things Some of the bad things about the project is that it can cause more pollution instead of lowering the chances of it. The building if not stable enough could collapse because the base camp is a moving glacier. Building this would cost more than $700,000 (not including the cost for electricity and supplies). That would make a sum of about $3,000,000 for when it is first built and and about $2,300,000 for all the supplies and electricity. That probably does not even include the cost of shipping. which would add about $50,000 every time a load of stuff is shipped there. The Problem The problem is that Mount Everest is a moving glacier with an altitude of 17598ft. Also this permanent camp could cause even more pollution than there already is. This is also very costly considering that it is very far from any major towns and it takes several days of trekking to get there, so building a settlement will be difficult and expensive. Also the altitude makes living there very difficult, the people who work in the camp would have to go back to a lower altitude every week or so. Along with that operating and sustaining the camp would be extremely expensive, supplies would take very long to be delivered. The Solution The solution would be to find a way to make it less costly and more convenient for both the people that work there and the guests. The End Thanks for reading

Assessment In The Classroom Essay

The school has a comprehensive, well set out assessment-policy which I have tried to familiarise myself with during my second four week university block away from the school, as I sourced a copy of it during my serial weeks along with a number of other school policy documents both required for (and beyond) the school-policy professional activity exercise. I have found this has helped me get to grips with the procedures within the school and has helped me fit in. Though the school assessment policy document is comprehensive in its description of the responsibility for planning of and approaches to recording and reporting of assessment, and the use of assessment results. It also interestingly, takes time to highlight the importance of using whole class assessment as a means of reflecting and evaluating one’s own teaching practices; something which the PGDE course has stressed is a central part of the modern-day teaching profession. More specifically however, I have also been fortunate enough to witness the effective use of a variety of assessment practices by my teacher in the classroom which I feel has been invaluable in furthering my understanding of styles of assessment and how these work. Indeed while I was aware of many of the features of the school policy document, I feel that to see these in action in the classroom is a process which cannot be communicated in written form. That said, I have been aware of the majority of these as they feature in Assessment is for Learning (AiFL) and Building the Curriculum 5: Assessment (BTC5) policy documents and so this combined with the provision of information in the school assessment policy guide placed me in good stead to look out for these in practice. Two Stars and a Wish The two stars approach was something I was familiar with the workings of through our use of it in assessing our own poster-display work in ULT/ELT seminars. It was however interesting to see how differently children responded in the classroom. Beyond engaging with the terminology far more than my fellow-students (who often mixed up the order) children seem surprisingly keen to improve if they can and focus not only on the two stars element, but also focus (positively) on the wish – seemingly happy to take advice on what to do better next time (again, sometimes more so than my PGDE colleagues)! Self Assessment I feel very positive and encouraged by the use of self assessment by my teacher who has demonstrated how effective this approach can be in identifying both success and problems equally. Indeed self-assessment appears to me, to allow children to feel as though they are playing an active role in the learning process as a whole and not simply a subject of learning and assessment. The thumbs (up, middle or down) approach also seems appealing as it is very efficient in that it allows a simple yet comprehensive snapshot of how pupils rate their own understanding. Further follow-up questioning also seems to be an effective part of the self assessment process. She has also demonstrated however that self-assessment is not limited to the simplistic thumbs or traffic-light colour approach (which was most obvious to me), through her interesting use of a traffic light workbook stamp which children are required to colour-in (green, orange or red) on their own work, before detailing a short reason to justify their choice which provides useful and often specific feedback on teaching which would seem to be a useful tool in the reflection and improvement process. Peer Assessment The use of peer assessment appears prominent in my teacher’s classroom presumably because she so eagerly embraces cooperative learning and thus children are often not only self- assessing their own work but also that of their partner or group. I feel this could be an effective approach to introducing peer assessment of individual work to a class who have not experienced this before – as it may well demonstrate the importance of being polite (but honest) when assessing other pupils work. Formal assessment I was fortunate enough to observe my class being formally assessed on both writing and spelling during my serial placement. Though the need for a comprehensive awareness of assessment is arguably now greater (now that I am giving my own lessons) than was the case during my observation weeks, and it is difficult to discuss something which took place so many weeks ago, I feel I am able to reflect on these early experiences enough to be able to appreciate the key elements of formal assessment. I believe I have an awareness of the principled approaches needed to implement formal assessment. Ultimately I feel my teacher’s competent and varied use of these approaches to assessment (even at this early stage of my placement) has given me the working awareness needed to implement them and also the confidence to begin to take steps towards using a greater range of these in a number of my future lesson plans.